medicinal cooking

It has been quite some time since I last posted, truth be told it has been over a year (though if you've been following me on facebook, I do get something up there almost daily). In any event, I owe you an explanation and a commitment to be back on here regularly ....

And lastly, a cooking tip I learned as per fresh water fish (any non ocean fish) : take your fish, do what you need to do it (keep it whole and gutted or filleted) and submerge it in water with vinegar ....

If you haven't already met, I'd like to introduce you to the Mountain Yam (Shan Yao). This is one of the most prevalent TCM medicinal herbs that is also commonly used as a food in a variety of dishes such as soups, hot pot (Huo Guo), stir fried dishes, and grated or sliced raw (the raw version is used often in Japanese cuisine) ....

Congee is by far one of the most prevalent examples of medicinal cooking's marriage with commonplace kitchen knowledge in Chinese and Asian culture(s) at large (in Thailand it's Khao Tom, in Japan it's Zohsui or Kayu, in Korea it's Jook/Juk, and so on) ....

I feel like I am about to write this post a few weeks too late for those that haven't been relishing in this season, in tomato season. Not that you can't eat tomatoes in the winter, as there are many a freshly canned (sans preservatives beyond salt) brand and given how we consume, you can find them all year round anyway - but they really don't taste as good as they do right now ....

Since I will soon be relocating to Chongqing (formerly Chungking), which just so happens to be Chicago's sister city, I thought I'd share a few snippets of the life and food there. There will be more as the years go by and I delve even further into yao shan (medicinal cooking) which is a big part of why I am going there ....

This last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited over to a friend's home on a bright sunny day to go wild and pluck as many mulberries, mulberry leaves, and mulberry twigs as I wished from her mulberry tree. Nevertheless, I was quite tame and only took a little for my home medicinal purposes as I'll be leaving to live in China again soon to continue my work and study on yao shan, a.k.a. medicinal cooking.

If you are a fan of soup, and have a large repertoire of recipes on hand to get you through sickness and health, then this recipe is your friend. Perhaps your very best friend! A meal is not a meal in China sans soup, nor are you eating in health without soup ....

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Disclaimer: While this site has been created by a licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist, it is not a medical site. Information on this page is provided on a "best efforts" basis for interest only and does not constitute personal advice. Please consult a medical doctor, acupuncturist, or nutritionist if you are in need of a more detailed individual diagnosis and nutrition plan.